Comverge Helps Gulf Power Achieve Industry Milestone for Dynamic Pricing
Programs
Gulf Power Enrolls 10,000 Participants in Country's Most Successful Automated
Dynamic Pricing Program
NORCROSS, Ga., Oct. 16, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comverge, Inc., the leading
provider of Intelligent Energy Management solutions for Residential and
Commercial & Industrial (C&I) customers, today congratulated its partner Gulf
Power Company on the enrollment of 10,000 participants in the country's most
successful automated dynamic pricing program. By offering both Time of Use
(TOU) and Critical Peak Pricing (CPP), Gulf Power's Energy Select program is
designed to deliver increased control and comfort to customers while also
helping lower peak demand. The program has resulted in customer satisfaction
rates as high as 97 percent, allowed program participants to take advantage of
lower energy prices 87 percent of the time and delivered reliable peak demand
reduction to Gulf Power.
"This is an important milestone for an automated residential dynamic pricing
program and we'd like to congratulate the team at Gulf Power on the incredible
results they are achieving with their Energy Select program," said Comverge
President and CEO, R. Blake Young. "The success of this program highlights how
using technology to automate dynamic pricing can significantly increase peak
demand reduction and customer value. We are proud to be partnering with Gulf
Power on this program and expect a range of utilities — from investor-owned to
publicly-owned to cooperatives — to start taking advantage of automated
dynamic pricing programs."
Gulf Power's Energy Select Program gives customers greater control over their
energy usage by allowing them to automate the control of high-energy use
appliances to automatically respond to pricing tiers and dynamic price
signals. To operate the program, Gulf Power uses the Comverge IntelliSOURCE
demand response management system (DRMS) and Comverge's portfolio of
intelligent energy management devices. IntelliSOURCE enables Gulf Power to
send near real-time price signals to the appliances which automatically
respond by using the pre-programmed settings. This approach not only increases
customer engagement, but importantly provides Gulf Power with reliable
capacity that can be dispatched at the push of a button.
"Reaching this important milestone is a testament to the ongoing success of
the Energy Select program," said David Eggart, Program Manager, Energy Select,
Gulf Power. "We have worked closely with Comverge on the Energy Select program
for the last 12 years and the customer satisfaction and operational results we
have achieved are remarkable. Earlier this year we extended our partnership
with Comverge and we are excited to continue to grow the program so more of
our customers can benefit from having greater control of their energy use to
lower their electricity bills."
Building on the success of the Gulf Power program and its extensive experience
deploying sophisticated dynamic pricing programs, Comverge recently launched
Comverge SmartPrice. An intelligent dynamic pricing solution, SmartPrice helps
utilities quickly and cost-effectively realize the kind of benefits that Gulf
Power has achieved with its Energy Select program. An integrated suite of
hardware and software, SmartPrice also offers flexible deployment options by
either using a consumer's broadband network, a cellular network or the
utility's Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to enable a two-way
information exchange.
About Comverge
Comverge delivers a comprehensive suite of intelligent energy management
solutions that enable utilities, grid operators, and commercial and industrial
organizations to optimize their energy usage in order to reduce costs, meet
regulatory requirements, and support sustainability initiatives. With 30 years
of experience helping customers implement innovative Demand-Side Management
programs, Comverge has deployed more than five and a half million energy
management devices, recruited over one million residential customers into mass
market demand response programs, and served thousands of commercial &
industrial customers. For more information, visit www.comverge.com and follow
us at @Comverge on Twitter.
About Gulf Power
Gulf Power Company is an investor-owned electric utility with all of its
common stock owned by Atlanta-based Southern Company. Gulf Power serves more
than 430,000 customers in eight counties throughout Northwest Florida. The
company's mission is to safely provide exceptional customer value by
delivering reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity
while strengthening our communities. Visit online at GulfPower.com or on the
company's Facebook page, "Gulf Power Company."
CONTACT: For Additional Information
Jason Cigarran
Vice President, Marketing
Comverge, Inc.
678-823-6784
jcigarran@comverge.com